Simply put... these photographs make me smile. Pure. Simple. Soft. And, oh! that yummy yummy light. But what I love most about these photos is all their love for this sweet baby girl that comes shining through!

After nearly a month away caring for family, and a whirl-wind of a month of non-stop shooting... looking at these images reminds me to slow down, enjoy life's simple little pleasures, and to cherish the truly important things in life: Love. Family. Simplicity.

** Leave these guys some Love! 20+ comments will get this couple a special gift!** (no double entries please)

It's April 1st 2011. April Fools Day. A day of pranks, jokes, and all things silly and tricky! To be quite honest... April 1st has always made me a little apprehensive. Probably because I am quite possibly one of the most gullible, clumsy, and easily frightened people on the planet. It's true. For example- my husband, after nearly 10years together, continues to jump out from behind every corner possible while "rawring" at me in a scary monster growl with his hand bent up claws. And even though I know it's coming... I still jump back and gasp in fear. After I recompose myself from the initial heartbeat-skipping scare... we both laugh as I tell him how to never do that to me again [which , let's be honest, we both know he still will.].
Another example that took place today- While video chatting with my father this morning, he informed me [in an urgent tone] that he received a phone call earlier from someone by the name "Lions", looking to speak with me. Now, I feel it necessary to explain that not only I have I not lived my parents in over 10 years, but I no longer live in South Florida either. Anyways, he wouldnt tell my dad what his call was in regards to, but instead gave him a phone number and asked that I call him back. So I took down the number. I couldnt get over how weird and "suspicious" this all seemed, so as I was about to pick up the phone and call... it dawned on me. "THIS IS AN APRIL FOOLS TRICK ISN'T IT?!?!" I exclaimed! My father's immediate burt of intense laughter led me to believe I was right. It had happened again. I was fooled. But I must say... dad did good this year. The number he gave me was to the Miami Metropolitan Zoo. Get it?! Zoo... Mister "Lions". Hysterical.

Here's to wishing everyone a very Happy April 1st + Happy April Fools Day!

And just because posts are no fun without a picture or two... These six images of this adorable little guy were printed on canvas and hung just as they are shown below. His parents love him so so much and wanted to remember all the little details and important info about their newborn baby boy so we designed the outside edge of the canvas so that each one displayed a different fact about him at birth [name, weight, height, etc.]. It came out even better than I imagined and is simply stunning on their wall!

Forgive me for being short on words today. There's quite a bit going on. But I just had to share these adorable images. K Family you are gorgeous both inside and out! Your love for one another comes shining through in these photographs! I love that grandma was able to make a "special cameo" too! I hope you are loving your photos as much as I do. I can't wait to see you guys again and see how much your little one has grown!

Yes. I made up a word. My own word. But this word perfectly describes this adorable little babe + her mom... Think fashionista meets punk rock chic!
From the moment I stepped into their home I knew this family was full of life, love, and rock-n-roll! Seriously. Even Miss P's nursery was fabulous! From the perfectly purple walls to the graphic/punk-graffiti artwork that adorned them to her incredible wardrobe [my closet was totally jealous after it saw hers!] my camera was is visual heaven! I mean who could resist those amazingly blue eyes... and that hat? don't get me started! So. Much. Fun.

It's 2011. A new year. A new beginning. It's a chance to start fresh. To take things that you've been doing and revamp them. Improve upon them. To challenge yourself. Take a leap of faith. Learn from your successes. And your failures. A new year is like that first sunny day after a week long storm. It feels good. Feels alive. It feels inspiring.
2011 brings with it some new additions, big changes, and lots of goals for CSP! Here are just a few of those goals and changes I hope to accomplish this year:

1. Update the website. I’ve been putting this off for a while now, but it’s time to give the site a facelift.

3. Make the blog more personal. I have struggled with wether or not to do this for some time now, but I’ve decided to give it a try. After all, choosing a photographer to welcome into your home and to get to know and photograph your family is a very important decision. You need to connect with not only my photography... but it's important to connect with me. As a person AND as an artist. I think by making the blog a little more personal it will allow you to not only get to know my work, but to get to know me as well!

Now, I have to be honest... my life really isn’t that exciting. Occasionally, I might have a few stories here and there that could be worth sharing. They'll most likely be about my cat. Or the last clumsy thing I just did. But they might make you laugh. I’d also like to get to know my readers better! Send me your thoughts. Share your ideas!

4. Give back! In 2009 I organized several food drives/raffles with local schools and Feeding America. The food drives were such a success! It taught kids about the importance of community, raised food to help feed thousands of families in Los Angeles, and gave parents the chance to win a free goodies from CSP! Organizing these food drives was incredible. There is no better feeling then giving back! I can't wait to to do more!

Now, before I make good on my promise of blogging more... I want to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to all of our clients, readers, friends, and family. CSP wouldn't be here without you. I am so grateful to have all of you in my life and part of the CSP family!

And finally, onto some photos...

What a joy he was to photograph!

Mom first contacted me when she was still in her second trimester [the perfect time to schedule!] and I could hear her excitement through her sweet and gentle voice. She was going to be a Mom for the very first time. She was doing everything she could to plan and prepare. She was, truth be told, a little nervous. When the day finally arrived for me to photograph baby 'C', I knew I wanted to make Mom feel at ease and give her great shots so she would always remember her first few days with her baby boy. Her first few days as "Mom".

It's been quite a year for me both professionally and personally- there have been ups and downs [thankfully many more ups!], lots of shoots, and a bunch of traveling! One thing I've really come to understand this year is that life is a journey and through every experience we are able to grow, conquer fears, plow through obstacles, and knock down hurtles that may have once stood in our way. This past month alone has been an incredibly difficult one... I feel like have ridden that "super scary, faster than light, 50-foot drop" emotional roller-coaster one too many times... but, yet, every time I get off I am surrounded by hope and love. I am truly amazed by the strength of the human spirit and how love, above all else, has the power to heal.
Every day is a gift. It's not easy to remember. It's not easy to live each day in this mindset. But it's something I strive to embrace.

These photos were taken back in March at a beautiful spot tucked away in Malibu, and every time I look at them they remind me of the huge amount of love this family has for one another- and that makes me smile. Inside and out.

'H' Family you are such a beautiful family to know and work with! I hope you are enjoying your photos- and I can't wait until we shoot again!

This family was so much fun to meet and photograph! Little "N" is as adorable as can be, super sweet, and has tons of energy [perhaps it has something to do with that gorgeousred hair!]. I was super excited to meet this family because I love photographing new clients, but really it was because I just couldn't wait to talk with them more! Mom is from England and Dad, from South Africa and they have the most amazing accents- EVER- and I have what I like to call "accent envy". I have had it for as long as I can remember. It started way back in junior high when I visited Europe with my family, and it grew even deeper, most likely, because some of my very best friends throughout junior high and high school were from across the pond. My "accent envy" goes so deep, that for about a year and a half of high school my friends and I spoke with horribly fake English accents. We were young, and silly, and well... let's just leave it at that!
So, when Mom and I spoke on the phone for the first time, hearing her accent brought back so many wonderful memories and happy feelings. And, yes you guess it, it brought back my accent envy. BIG TIME. I couldn't wait to meet and chat and soak up all of their accent-glorious-ness [how's that for a fun made-up word!?] Needless to say, we ended up chatting for quite a long time. And, then when we met up again to create their gorgeous album, we chatted even more. Even longer. They are so sweet and so funny- I think I was laughing our entire time together.

I just love when I am able to connect like this with the families I photograph! Their photographs truly show who they are inside and the deep connection among them as a family! Here are just a few of my favorite shots from our session that took place in between our chatting!

Way back in November of 2009 I photographed these two little cuties! [I know...I know.... I am a bad blogger...] In fact, Mom had first contacted me in May but due to a cold, the weather, a few more colds, and coordinating several peoples schedules we just couldn't get our session in until November! Well, needless to say when we finally did meet we had an absolute blast! Sweet little "A" has the most adorable, fun, and energetic personality and her baby brother "J" is about as cool and calm as any baby could be!
Jumping on the bed and lots of bribery... umm, I mean candy... kept this session playful and allowed for some super images!

I always love delivering all the fabulous goodies my clients order when they are ready. The expression on their faces and joy in their hearts when they see their images just makes my heart sing! It's what makes my job so amazing and so fulfilling ...and today was no exception!
When I delivered "T's" order this morning she nearly cried! She was so excited to see me when I arrived and was completely smitten with everything! And, with a model this adorable it's easy to see why...

Today has been a perfect start to 2010! Yes, it is already the 5th.. but it's only day two back at the office so it still counts [at least I think so anyways!]. I know this is only the start to a perfectly amazing year ahead!

I recently had the pleasure of photographing the R family! Their sweet daughter, Ms. "C", is just so adorable and is completely apple of her parents' eye. We made the best of the gloomy weather and headed outside into their incredibly lush backyard and then went for a little stroll down the block.

I can't wait to see this little cutie again in just a few months when she'll turn the big O-N-E and see how much she's grown! Until then...here are some favorites from our first session together:

I could not have asked for a more perfect Saturday morning than the one like last weekend! Immediately upon walking in the door of the "P" Family, I was greeted with giant smiles, great energy, and toys! :)

This awesome greeting was followed only by hugs, hugs, and even more hugs ! Big Brother "L" was so excited I was there I almost didn't get to take any shots of him because he kept tackling me with hugs- it was SO much fun! Even with all of the hugging and toy sharing I did manage to get some "work" done too!

Thank you "P" Family for welcoming me into your home and allowing me to capture your amazing family!

This little guy is the cute "little bundle of joy" I mentioned in my previous post. There aren't really any words to describe just how sweet he is and how much love there is within their whole family! So without further ado... Meet the sweetest little newborn- Mr. S!

Yes...that's right back in February I photographed this amazing family who was anxiously awaiting their new bundle of joy! Well, that bundle of joy has arrived and is absolutely adorable!

Needless to say I am a bit behind on blogging (ok... 'a bit' is the understatement of the century!) but I am glad to finally be posting some of the images from their Maternity session! I'll be posting some of their adorable newborn shots soon too!

First, I have to start off by saying: I LOVE babies!! They instantly fill my heart with emotion and inspiration... Now, I have never met such a sweet, tiny, and calm little baby until I met this little bundle of joy. It's almost as if she knew exactly what was going and was ready for her debut! Even her mom was shocked as she opened her eyes for the first time and kept them open throughout almost the entire session.

Congratulations again and again! Here are some sneak peeks from our session together...

There's nothing more special than being pregnant and the anticipation of a brand new baby! Ok, well... maybe not the last few months of pregnancy... but you know what I mean! A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to photograph one of my favorite families! Not only are they amazing to photograph, but they are amazing to be around too- so sweet and caring and appreciative- let's just say they're AWESOME!

So needless to say, I am so happy for them to be welcoming their brand new baby girl into the world {photos to come}, and in the meantime here are some of my favorite photographsfrom before she was born!

I met up with this little cutie and his mom last week for one of my favorite types of sessions- Surprise Gifts! His mom wanted to surprise dad {aka: the birthday boy!} with beautiful photos of his two biggest fans.

I had a great time during the session and I am sure dad will be pleasantly surprised and happy when he opens his gifts this year!

Okay... so once again, I am behind on blogging! {it's bad.. I know!} Anyhow....

About two weekends ago I was fortunate enough to photograph the 'W' Family. After months and months of having to reschedule their session due to flu, pink eye, more flu- we finally met up and thankfully all the kids were happy and healthy!Here's some of my favorite images from our time together...hopefully they will give everyone in the 'W' Family a dose of happiness and I wish them many healthy months ahead!